Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-01-20
CAPT. SUFFERS NUGGETS.
Gen. Sherman Tells How He Tested Them with
His Teeth
Washington Critic

His Teeth.
Washington Critic.
zen w. L. Sherman has been promin-
entity Identified with matters affectinp
the worlds history independent of his
orllllant military career in the civil war;
he drew up the first official report to the
government of the United States of the
discovery of gold in California Gold
was discovered in the sprinp of IS4S,
about sixty miles above the present city
of Sacramento. Gen Mason was at the
time in command of the United States
forces in California and acted as mill
tary headquarters at Monterey, the capi-
tai of the territory. Gen. Sherman, then
young lieutenant of the Sd artillery,
was adjutant of Gen. Mason's staff. Yerba
Buena, now the great city of San Fran
cisco, was but hide trading port of
four hundred native inhabitants. AS
soon as gold was discovered, Capt. SUIT
ter went down to Monterey with GUAM
tlty of samples of the precious metal for
the inspection of the military authori
ties.
Gen. Sherman, in a conversation with
some friends few evenings since, re-
terred to the important historical event,
substan TALLY as follows
"Capt. Suffer brought into Gen Maso,a,s
office several small packages of stmpIe,R
and spread them out before ms. Tba
specimens presented varied in size from
fish scales and split peas up TO the size
of beans. Gen. Mason asked if knew
how to test whether this stuff
was gold or not. l said certainly.
and Immediately tried my teeth or
a lump and made an indentation which
impressed me that it was malleable.
then sent for a hammer and an AK and
pounded several pieces out fat This was
cruce but practical test, but we then an
piled acids, which verified the fact that
the samples were genuine gold. I was AFT
once sent up to the diggings and made a
thorough examination of the gold discov
cries, which were rapidly being found in
new localities ana in wonderful amounts.
1 returned to Monterey with a quantity
of specimen samples and drew up the
official report to the government, which
signed by Gen. Mason. This report. ac-
compan1ed with quantity of samples
of gold, was forwarded by a special bear
er of dispatches, who was no other than
Henry d. Cooke, recently the first COVER
nor of the District OF Columbia He was
sent off in small sailing vessel to IN
tercept a British steamer on the southern
ooeiou dflu ndhe Edplu UFdnS1G 10 w aShlng-
ton, regardless of expense.
We had not then been advised of the
ratification of the treaty Of Mexico ced-
ing California to the United States, and
were necessarily very anxious that the
government should possess inrormation
of the discovery of gold at the earliest
moment.
Thus less than forty years ago "Old
Tecumseh's" teeth made the first official
impress, put the first government stamp
of value on the gold delivered from the
mines of this modern land of Ophir.
And it it is fair presumption that more
than half of the sixty million inhabitants
of the republic, who are enjoying its
wonderful prosperity, resulting largely
from the discovery of gold in California,
have been born since Gen. Sherman in
denied the first gold specimen with his
teeth.